Celebrity Mound

Tom Hanks wants the Vatican to know he hasn’t sinned.

Rome has already criticized “Angels & Demons,” in which Hanks stars, even though it doesn’t open until May 15.

“People will see there’s nothing sacrilegious about it at all,” the actor told us. “Yes, we had a few things go on that are completely fictionalized. But there’s no reason to have a big hurly-burly over what is essentially a whodunit. There’s no major theological discussion that goes on, other than science versus faith. There’s no winner in that argument. I just solve the murder.”

The Pope’s staff might not be happy that director Ron Howard defied bans and sneaked in cameras to shoot scenes within Vatican City. They couldn’t film in the Sistine Chapel so, Hanks says, “we re-created it in a beautiful way.”

Hanks himself was canonized the other night by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Among those turning out for his Chaplin Award tribute was Bruce Springsteen, who recalled meeting him in a men’s room after they’d both won Academy Awards for “Philadelphia.”

“We were comparing the size of our Oscars,” said the Boss. “Mine’s a little bigger.”

He added that, besides having “an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music,” Hanks “has the whole regular-guy thing going. It’s a shtick that I’ve perfected pretty well myself. … He’s actually a very, very strange man.”

Kidding aside, Springsteen said that, thanks to “Tom’s relentless decency,” he’s “come to exemplify America’s idea of itself.”

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Tom Hanks wants to attend President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration even if he doesn’t get a front-row seat. Or any seat at all.

“Look, I’ll be in the back,” the 52-year-old Oscar winner said backstage Tuesday night at a benefit for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. “I’ll sit on the Lincoln steps and just watch it from the distance on a Jumbotron. I’ve never been to anything like that, and – finally – a guy I voted for won. That hasn’t happened most of my life.”

Hanks posted a video pledging his support for Obama on MySpace last May. In the video, Hanks said he was backing Obama because of his “character and vision, and the high road he has taken during this campaign.” Hanks also said Obama “has the integrity and the inspiration to unify us, as did FDR and Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and even Ronald Reagan when they ran for the job.”

Hank’s wife, Rita Wilson, echoed her husband’s sentiment before the pair joined a star-studded cast – which included Annette Bening, William Shatner, Martin Short, James Cromwell and Alicia Silverstone – for a one-time only performance of the Pulitzer-prize-winning play “You Can’t Take It With You” at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

However, Wilson had a different viewing spot in mind for Jan. 20.

“I think we’re going to get a kayak and go into the National Mall waters,” she joked.

An Idaho judge put an abrupt end to a $2.5 million arbitration demand filed by actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson against a contractor who allegedly did a poor job in building Hanks’ $10 million dollar Sun Valley home.

Judge Robert Elgee ruled that arbitration between these same parties in 2003 completely exonerated the contractor and settled the issue.

Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson argued that Storey Construction left defects in their home from construction completed in 2002. These claims continued after three arbitrators in 2003 dismissed their claim with prejudice and awarded them nothing.

Armed with new attorneys, Hanks and Wilson attempted to resuscitate their failed construction defect case, claiming the defects were latent. Filing a new demand for arbitration in November 2007, Hanks and Wilson claimed $2.5 million “in damages caused by alleged construction/design errors.”

“What Tom and Rita don’t realize is the law is not like movie making – you can’t reshoot until you get the outcome you like,” said attorney Miles Stanislaw. “The repeated legal actions are baseless and that is exactly what the court ruled today.”

Today’s ruling stems from Idaho state law which bans the relitigation of claims arising from the same transaction or circumstance. Storey Construction completed work on the home in 2002 and the construction defect claims were ruled upon by an arbitration panel in 2003, in favor of Storey.

“I am happy that this nightmare is finally over,” said Gary Storey, owner of Storey Construction. “This ongoing harassment from Hanks and Wilson has put tremendous stress on me, my family and my business.”

The legal battle between Storey and the Hanks’ began in 2003 when the construction company placed a lien on the property to receive payment for the remainder of the balance due. When the couple refused to pay, Storey took Hanks and Wilson to mandatory arbitration, where the couple counter-claimed the work was defective and demanded $800,000 in damages.

That arbitration awarded Storey almost $3 million for the balance on the construction work and Hanks and Wilson nothing.

According to Storey Construction and its attorneys, Storey has already successfully defended against the defendants’ false accusations of construction defects – accusations made to avoid paying Storey money that was due. They claim the defendants are seeking to relitigate a case they previously lost, and in doing so, are inflicting severe harassment on Storey. Judge Elgee based his ruling on well-established Idaho law which prohibits the relitigation of the same claim.

Hanks and Wilson are now faced with defending themselves against charges of abuse of process, filed by Storey.

Storey’s complaint alleges their latest claim was filed out of desire for revenge. According to Stanislaw, damages are potentially in the millions since Idaho law allows for the award of punitive damages against those who use the legal system for spiteful or improper purposes.

Hanks and Wilson also filed a million-dollar claim against the architect who designed the home, alleging the same flaws and defects blamed on Storey.